Kinship
by Distant Lights
Summary: Brothers Vinta and Shimmark have much in common. But not everything. [2014, rewritten 2015]


The Mipedim deserts were unforgiving. Stretching as far as a traveler's eye would see, the region was the quintessence of survival of the fittest. An oasis sat in the scorching region, but guardians patrolled the outskirts for trespassers. A saying went as so—if the heat didn't bake you alive, Mipedians would kill you first.

In these sands, a pair of Chaotic players, two older boys wearing shades, laughed over a joke as they held a conversation and tread the deserts. One of the boys carried a radio in one hand, and a dozen sodas in a shopping bag in the other. They tossed ice packs inside to keep their beverages cool. They'd ported in not long ago, still able to withstand more unblocked sun for now.

They stopped near a cluster of large stones, a rarity in the vast emptiness of sand they were trekking. Better yet, they cast shadows, allowing the humans to escape the sun's rays. Both smiled in relief at their finding—not for the obvious, but because they ported to the desert to meet up with other players here. Rumors of a convoy carrying enviously rare scans caught their ears, and the others claimed they knew their route and would lead the way, for a price of scan trades they'd performed prior.

"Finally," the boy holding the sodas, a blonde teenager, sighed. "Anymore of this sun and I'd roast."

Approaching it, each sat on smaller rocks, placing their things on the ground. The second boy, a brown haired, olive toned teen, wiped his forehead of sweat and looked up at the sun, telling Perimian time with its place in the sky.

"I guess we're early," the blonde said, whose focus pointed elsewhere.

"It appears so," the brunet concurred. Peeking around the rocks, they found nobody else. They saw no figures on the horizon resembling humans. "We'll just have to wait. Crack open those sodas and pop in a tune! You still have the radio, right?"

"I'm sure I would have heard our radio hit the ground," the blonde commented as he sat the boom box down on a tinier rock. "Yeah, it's right here. Hold on," he pardoned as he dug into his pant pockets. His fingers met nothing, confusing him as he swore he put the disc there. "I thought I put it in here?" He stopped as he noticed his friend hold up his CD case wedged between his fingers. Turned out his friend had it. "Oh."

The brunet popped the CD into the radio. Red zeros flashed as he sealed the top. They heard weak sounds of a spinning disk as his finger moved over a button. "Which one?"

"Like which song?" the blonde asked, his hands in the bag.

"Yeah," the other one clarified.

"Uh, let me think about it," the blonde said. His hands emerged with a moist can of soda in each one. He tossed one to his friend, catching it from a perfect throw. He gaped partly from it, not directly focused on the flying drink. "Oh hey, I actually caught it."

From behind another rock in the cluster, a pair of Mipedians peeked out at the boys as they drank up. Both were nearly identical in appearance, save their different scale shades, eye colors, and unique facial features. Brothers Vinta and Shimmark, a duo of scouts, while surprised to find Chaotic players out this deep into the deserts, were unsurprised by finding these two resting here. Of the handful of kids who ventured this far, many used this place for a break from the extreme conditions.

They observed the humans, spotting their sodas. They'd seen their fizzy drink before, even stole a couple once and drank them—they tasted interesting, but did the opposite of quench their thirst. They also accidentally discovered a little trick for them if they hadn't been opened yet. Both hatched a similar idea, and turning to each other they grinned deviously. They looked back at their new targets.

"Three you said?" asked the brunet Chaotic player as he clicked the right arrow button.

"Yeah, that one," the other player said. He kept clicking until the number on the radio displayed zero-three. A tune began playing from the speakers. "Yep, this is it."

The brunet player arose with a grin. "Think I heard this one on ninety-three seven."

Behind their stone, Shimmark vanished out of sight and sneaked out of cover. Vinta tracked his brother's movement with the thin footprints he left in the sand. Once they reached a farther rock, he checked on the boys. They chatted as the music played, sipping their sodas which fortunately remained cooler than expected.

"So, about Sasha, what happened to her?" the blonde asked as they entered a conversation.

His friend took another sip from his drink, frowning as he stared off absently. "Oh yes, her. I'm not one hundred percent what happened, but she got coded last week. Players are saying she slipped while climbing Chaor's Castle and lost hold of her scanner mid fall."

The blonde cringed from his friend's reply. "Well, uh, guess it could have been worse?"

"What kind of worse?" the brunet asked, head upon his propped arm.

The blonde searched his memory, placing a finger upon his peach fuzzed chin. "How about… getting stuck on the conveyor belt for an incinerator?"

Before the brunet could respond, the music stopped playing after a click. Both heads turned to the radio quickly.

"What? Seriously? I just bought new batteries for you," the first boy scolded the radio. Sitting his drink down, he stood up and approached the radio. Beside where he sat, Vinta peeped from behind another rock before going invisible again.

The blonde tilted his drink towards his friend. "See? I told you Chaotic's batteries sucked."

"I'm starting to feel the same," the brunet said as he rose the radio to his face and began inspecting it. "Not worth the two-week long pass for letting your CD come through coding, eh?"

"Eh," the blonde merely responded with.

Too busy with the radio, the humans didn't notice the cans in their bag rise from the bag, one by one. Six came out in all, resting in an unseen cradle.

The boy holding the radio turned it on its back and noticed the battery part open. Inside, he found no batteries. He pointed his sights to the ground in search of them. "What the?"

His friend stood up and approached him. "What did you find?"

"The batteries are missing!" the brunet exclaimed.

The blonde tilted his head. "Missing? Are you sure man? Maybe the desert's playing tricks on you already?"

"Take a look around if you feel so sure."

The blonde boy got on his hands and knees and peeked under some space below a rock. Being too dark to see, he reached inside and felt around for anything tiny and metallic. He felt only the ground. His hand slithered out and he rose.

He checked around him and spotted the bag holding their sodas. He stopped and locked on it as it laid in a slightly different position. No winds blew at that moment. He erected himself and approached them. He bent down as he picked up the can and widened the bags opening. He noticed that only three cans were inside, nowhere close to what he counted.

"Uh, Casey? We're missing sodas!" he told the other boy as he looked around again with some panic streaming through him.

"Well ain't that just great?," Casey commented as he sat the radio down where it rested before.

From behind one of the bigger rocks, Vinta returned to visibility. He spotted Shimmark, who reappeared behind a smaller rock. In his arms were the sodas. Shimmark looked his way and gave a grin to Vinta, being successful in snatching the drinks.

Vinta inhaled as he craned around the rock, holding his breath. He let it out, and it released in a gust. The boys jumped as the winds struck them. Their belongings rolled across the ground, including their sodas, spilling and sinking into the parched earth. As Vinta blew, Shimmark snickered. Both players caught a glimpse of the Mipedian.

"See, Lloyd? Told you it wasn't me!" Casey told his fellow player as they shielded themselves from the gale.

: )

After escaping with the boys' sodas, Vinta and Shimmark began their trip back home. Side by side, they trekked through the sands. Each Mipedian held an even amount of sodas. Vinta, who already opened a can, held it in one hand and the rest of his share in his opposite arm. Shimmark held his in both.

"These humans are too easy to fool," Vinta said as he tossed his can aside, having emptied it.

"They never seem to use their heads. At least not in the right way," Shimmark added.

Vinta reached for another can from his stash. "That's the good part about them! Hey, remember that song they were playing on that machine they brought with him?"

Shimmark remembered the radio vividly. "Yeah, what about it?"

His brother grabbed the tab of the can. "Whatever it was, it stank. I'm sorry, it just did."

Shimmark frowned slightly. He didn't have a taste for music, but the human's foreign compositions were interest to listen to. "Come on, it wasn't that bad."

Vinta looked at Shimmark madly. "You saying you liked that garbage?"

"No," Shimmark answered as he stared ahead. "I'm just saying I don't think it's terrible."

"Whatever," Vinta said as he drank from his can again. "What do they call that stuff anyway?"

Shimmark only shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I hear stuff like it a lot from other players."

"I haven't, and I hope I never do," Vinta stated coldly. Shimmark didn't respond and returned forward.

They noticed a cliff up ahead and halted before the edge. Looking out, they spotted the oasis, the paradise in the oven they called home. They stared at it quietly as steam rose from the canopies. Their ears caught the ambient sounds it exuded.

Vinta turned for the slope leading down. "I have something to take care of, personally. We'll talk some other time when I'm not busy."

Shimmark nodded as he watched him leave. "As you wish."

: )

After becoming alone, Shimmark entered the oasis where much of his tribe resided. He ventured through it, saying hello to any who said so to him as he passed by. Since his mission to Glacier Plains during the M'arillian War, creatures gained this respect for him. He didn't entirely understand, but didn't mind. By the time he reached his destination, the sun had began to sink and the sky commenced darkening. The temperature dropped slightly, but the place still smoldered.

Shimmark entered his secret downtime spot, a cavern carved into a massive rock, alongside others like his. He felt the cool air tingle his skin, sealed inside the cavern by the thick cloth he used for a door. He approached his bed, a mat on the floor, and laid down. He placed his sodas next to him as he exhaled.

He turned his head toward the exit, checking for anyone nearby. After he felt the coast was clear, he reached for a small, key-locked box next to the mat. He grabbed it and rested it in his lap, then searched through the small pack attached to his belt. Out came his hand, his fingers pinching a rusty key. He slid it into the box's lock and turned it right, causing a small click. He pulled out the key and opened the box. Lifting the top, he examined the box's contents. Inside sat a CD case, a player for it, and a pair of earbuds. A name went across the top of the disc player in English. It read 'Property of Deanda Madiq', but he didn't know.

Shimmark emptied the box and placed its contents before him. He opened the case and the player, plucked the disc from its container and pressed it into the player. He grabbed the earbuds by the jack and plugged them into the player, shutting its top after that. The CD inside spun and they player's screen blinked with numbers. He popped either bud into his ears firmly. He waited for a moment before he heard music – the exact same song Casey and Lloyd had playing back in the desert.

As he got lost in the tune, he remembered the past events of today. He breathed out as he stared at the player as it sat in his lap.

"Sometimes I wish we had more in common. I know comfort isn't valued like I do, but..." Shimmark stared off at the cave wall. "Maybe someday."


End file.
